Cam case letters

[KMG]

Cam 1.jpg (175.43 KiB) Viewed 18635 times

Cam 2.jpg (150.83 KiB) Viewed 18635 times

I have model with the vin numbers have been removed. I am trying to figure out what year and model it is. My primary case numbers are 552-2031, cam case numbers are 553-1758. On my cam case I have two letters to the bottom left a H and a M, pictures are attached. My cylinder heads are part # 16561-52, 16581-52. I think I have a 52 KR with H cams or does it mean I have KH model ? If anyone knows I will appreciate the comment. Thanks

[Hammie13]

Sounds like an "H" as in HOT Model,be careful..............

[sean]

i have 553-1731 belly numbers on my spare 52 k cases...so im thinking yours was a 52 before it was stolen.un sure if its a k or kr but im sure your local p.d can fiqure it out and return to its proper owner.

[EKHKHK56]

Hi, your case Left side was made in 1952. Right side in 1953. That would be a 1952 K with a replaced `1953` right side case, which is common due to transmission breakage. 1952-53 Cylinders. KRs have big roller bearings on the crank instead of needle, KR cylinders have large exhaust ports where the exhaust pipe slides in. With Ks the pipes slide over. 1954 was the first year for a KH. Erik

[sportsterpaul]

Be aware that in California at least, tampering with numbers is a felony. I am told the usual way that works out is that after you spend $15,000 restoring the entire bike, when you go to title it at the DMV they send you to the CHP (California Highway Patrol) who then tells you you can give them the entire bike, since it all must be stolen, or you get charged with a felony. Kirk, the Sportster Specialties guy in LA actually got a bike titled in California, and when he went to ship it overseas, the US Customs people use a more comprehensive list of stolen VINs, and they wanted to confiscate the $18k bike. I think Kirk said he had all the receipts, so they let him keep all the new stuff. Kirk is a great guy, I met him at the Cow Palace swap meet decades ago, and he is the kind of guy that will talk to you on the phone about your K-model for an hour, where you learn of the California horror stories.

Now, that being said, number stamps are cheap, so maybe you just blast some plausible numbers where they should go. Wouldn't it be Shakespearean if the numbers you guess at happen to be on the hot sheet? Bear in mind, that does not fix anything, if the CHP inspector can detect it is re-stamped, then you probably pull two felonies, one for tampering and one for fraud or conspiracy. Another angle is to leave the engine blank, and then stamp a VIN on the frame. Most CHP know the engine is supposed to have a number as well so you are probably screwed.

One possible play is to stamp numbers on other side of the engine, like later Sportsters. Then pray the inspector does not want to look at the other side of the engine. It is not illegal to stamp numbers in and of itself. My buddy Ralph the Mouth had two VINs on his bike frame, since he used two different engines in the frame. when the DMV asked "Did you stamp those yourself?" Ralph said, "Sure did, I want to protect my property." The DMV guy nodded and gave him the paperwork.

Now if you don't live in a vicious Third-World state like California, such as Florida, where I just moved, the DMV told me I can get a notary public to come over to the house to inspect the motorcycle and they can title it based on that, as long as there is a bill of sale or some record that I paid for it and am "the true owner".

No matter, the important thing is to get the paperwork done before you spend any money. Of course, there are other things, mildly felonious, like just slapping this engine into an already titled bike. In California I had a Santa Clara cop actually inspect the engine numbers when he pulled me over for having long hair. So once again, if you are in a third-world state, you might lose the bike anyway, but at least you can ride it for a few years.

If you do live among the decent, the South or the Midwest, I would just drag the cases to the CHP and ask them if you are screwed and can not keep the engine. I suspect that is what they will tell you. Maybe, just maybe, you can show them a bill of sale, talk about the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) where if you buy a vehicle in good faith you get to keep it and if it is stolen they start working up the chain until they find the thief.

Bear in mind that the CHP and DMV will be very interested in who you bought it from, since if you convince them you are not the felon, then they might just go on a quest to find the one who is.

OK, so the first thing, you must be mistaken. The numbers have not been removed. You must have a service case that the factory sold to dealerships as a replacement. And the dealerships would stamp the original numbers on the case and destroy the old case. Yeah, that's the ticket, its a service case. That is much better than a felony case.

I can't help with the model year, but there is sure to be some enthusiast here who will help, its a great bunch of folks here. (Ha! in the time it took to write this, the answers are in. What a country, America,)

[EKHKHK56]

I can see your crank shaft style is K, not KR. The letters do not designate any specific cams. Send a photo of the cams and I can ID for you. Erik

[EKHKHK56]

It would be best to consult your local DMV on this to determine the legal route for title like you mentioned. Every state has different laws. Numbers may be applied but only upon DMV approval. And only original or DMV provided numbers I believe after reading up on this. Erik

[KMG]

The bike wasn't stolen. I am 54 years old now, when I was 15 I found the engine in a abandon house in pieces. I rebuild the engine myself ran good but not perfect so it sat for awhile and in 1981 I had it rebuilt at Harley dealer in Philadelphia, PA. and all the rest of the parts to the bike I have been purchasing ever since. I have an expert that says he can pull the numbers back out of the engine block. After that I can apply for the title in Pennsylvania. Thanks for your input just making sure what the bike was cause all these years I been buying parts for the 52K.

Thanks

[sean]

can you show a pic of the vin pad?...try to get the numbers pulled out and checked before you have to give everything up when you try and get a title.does not matter if it was stolen 55 yrs ago or yesterday,only reason someone would remove the numbers is to hide them....maybe if no signs of tampering,grinding or milling the numbers off then it was in fact never stamped.but i doubt it.you could measure the height of the pad and compare it to a untouched pad on one of our cases.ill measure mine and let you know what the pad height should be.

[EKHKHK56]

Interesting way to become a K enthusiast, good work! My first M53-A1 KHK Carburetor and 56 Speedo came from a friend mechanic who traded some work for them from a fellow who found then in a cabin he purchased a few hundred miles into the sticks. You could only get there by boat, plane or snow machine. Around here if you find something of value abandoned you can contact authorities and they have you run an ad in the newspaper stating what you found. If nobody claims it in 30 days you can get ownership. Than bond for title. Used to be that way... It would be best to pull up the numbers I think, and reinstate them if possible as the 52K it is. 45 years ago, I would`t think they would have current info on such an old bike if it went missing, at the DMV, but you never know. Erik